If you have been following my blog closely, you have probably read about my blog post on Tai Thai restaurant at Faber Drive. It may be out of the way for many of you. Here’s a good news, the restaurant has relocated to The Star Vista, the latest shopping mall in Buona Vista, and it is now called “Lee’s Taiwanese” (台湾庙口小吃).

Having been away from her hometown for 20 years, Taiwanese owner Fiona Lee missed the true Taiwanese flavor that she was never able to find anywhere locally. That homesickness inspired her to introduce to Singapore the genuine, authentic taste of delicious street fare back from her hometown.

The concept behind Lee’s Taiwanese is the famous and very busy Keelung Temple Street night market. With a variety of popular Taiwanese street fare such as Braised Minced Meat Rice, Pig Intestines Vermicelli, Spicy Beef Noodles and even cold desserts like Red Bean Ice and Yam Ice, Lee’s Taiwanese is a candid model of the Keelung night market right here.

The authenticity of Lee’s recipes traces right down to its ingredients; home-made gravies and broth; even sauces are imported from Taiwan to ensure that the Taiwanese flavor is uncompromised.

Take the Pig Intestines Mee Sua (大肠面线, $8) for example. Fiona imports the noodles from Taiwan and it is one of the best Taiwanese Mee Sua I have ever tasted in Singapore. Fiona commented that oysters are not the freshest in Singapore, so she decided to use pig intestines instead, which is similar to that of Ah Zong Mee Sua in Taiwan.

The Pig Intestines Mee Sua is served plain but if you prefer the original Taiwanese flavour, which is more sour and spicy, you can request to add more garlic, vinegar and chilli. Picture above is my bowl of mee sua, it is very fragrant and every mouthful has a kick. The intestines are first braised and cooked with mee sua. It was very soft. I must have this whenever I come here. Recommended!

Braised Pork on rice (卤肉饭, $8) is steeped very deeply in Taiwanese tradition. A favourite in Taiwan, it is quite a simple filling food, which is popular among farming families if they want a satisfying meal.

What I like about Lee’s Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, is their nicely braised pork belly. They are cut into small pieces and not very oily, so I don’t feel guilty eating it.

The boss imports its pearl rice from Taiwan. Alot of local Taiwanese restaurant uses normal Thai fragrance rice, which I feel kinda losses the essence of traditional Braised Pork Rice. The Taiwan pearl rice are smaller and when the gravy from the braised pork sips through the rice, it is simply heavenly.

Of course, I don’t only eat the mee sua. I love the appetizers too. Salt & Pepper Chicken (盐酥鸡, $6.90) are deep-fried with a thin, non-existent crispy skin. It’s nicely spiced with salt, pepper and five spice powder, very addictive.

Another of my favourite is the Century Egg Tofu (皮蛋豆腐, $3.80). The soft tofu was topped with spring onions and bonito flakes.

Keelung Temple Street night market is very famous for its crushed ice. At Lee’s Taiwanese, you can find 4 varieties of crushed ice: red bean, yam, green bean and mango. If you cannot decide which one to have, you can try the Mixed Items Crushed Ice (招牌综合冰, $6.80) which has a mixture of 3 different flavours, including red bean, green bean and yam. We love the yam crushed ice the most because the yam cubes are manually made using real yam, very fragrant!

This is still my favourite Taiwanese restaurant in Singapore. Another 2 signature items in the menu includes the Taiwanese Beef Noodles ($12) and Braised Minced Pork Rice ($8). Even the jasmine rice is imported from Taiwan!

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to Lee’s Taiwanese. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!

Maureen

Born into a family of enthusiastic foodies, Maureen has always loved all things culinary, especially the local cuisine here in Singapore. With a life-long fascination with the rapidly evolving food scene in Singapore, she started this website in 2007 to explore and celebrate all types of local Singapore dishes and to share her love of travel and food with the world. With 4 years of experience as a journalist and producer, she has a wealth of experience in food writing, photography and styling.